Where do we belong?
One probably doesn't think about how a city/state influences your ideals and beliefs until you need to make a decision on where to live.
Joe and I are both from the east coast of South Carolina, known as the Low Country. We both left unknowingly at the same time in July/August 2007. I left to get a new lease on life after a break-up. Joe left for similar reasons, except for new people and environment.
I had visited Athens, GA several times with my ex-boyfriend and I decided to move there. Yes, the one I was trying to get over...He was a professor at the technical college, but he didn't live there at the time. Shortly after I moved here, I found out that he married (and lives in Athens). Closure happened very quickly and that is when I met Joey, Joe, Joseph. Besides the obvious, I moved to Athens because I liked the downtown area with used music and book stores and art and bead shops. I liked how people looked different; earthy and unique.
Now I have been here almost 5 years. I've seen the ex a couple of times. I like Athens more than the reasons I originally came. As a matter of fact, I hate going downtown where the used music and book stores and art and bead shops are. Joe and I dated here and have spent our first three years of marriage here. Our boy was born next to the Bible college Joe was attending when we met. We have places we love to eat like Farm 255, Big City Bread, and The Grit. We support restaurants with locally-grown foods, small business entrepreneurs, and local artists. The farmer's market on Saturdays is an Athens favorite even if all we buy is a egg, cheese, and soysage biscuit and bouquet of flowers. The downtown houses are so inspiring to look at from our rolled down windows, even if we can't afford to own one. We have a favorite cinema that we used to visit often before we had a baby. We finally found a diverse, charismatic church that we feel like we belong. Lincoln has a teacher at his school that loves him and if he can't be with me, I'm glad he's with her. We occasionally have snow if the winter is cold enough, but still have hot summers. We're a short drive away from the mountains, the northern SC line, and southern TN line. The good, bad, and ugly that Atlanta has to offer is a hop, skip, and jump away. Joe and I have jobs that we love and hate sometimes, but we have jobs! There is the camaraderie of a living in a college town with a popular footabll team, even if we never go to the games. It is a town that never grows up, if you know what I mean. We don't have friends that we socialize with or help out with Lincoln. We aren't exposed to family drama regularly. It's just the three of us. So why would we want to leave, or do we?
Both of our parents live on the coast of Carolina. Most of my family is in Beaufort and we have large holiday celebrations. Lincoln would grow up around family and his grandparents would be able to see him more. I don't like to be away from him after I get home from work because we have been separated so much already. I hate that I only spend about 4 hours a day with him already. An occasional date without him would be nice though. Living back in Beaufort would just mean being closer to family, eating fresh seafood, and being near the ocean. If it weren't for Lincoln, I don't think we would be pursuing a move back down south. See, Beaufort is a lot different than the beliefs of the people in Athens, and me for that matter. I'm still vote Republician and am passionate about the sanctity of life and marriage between a man and a woman. Athens is very liberal, but believe it or not, a Republican mayor was re-elected so there must be a conservative representation as well. I'm a part of a community in Athens that cloth diaper and breastfeed and wear their babies and co-sleep (attachment parenting). I may not "hang" out with them, but I know where to go to find them. I do not know anyone in Beaufort or even in my own family that does those things. I'm probably looked at as a hippie or something. Joe said that families that have the same beliefs as us are probably around, we might just have to look harder to find them. I plan to start an International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) chapter in the Beaufort area and Joe joked that I might be the only one that shows up...It makes me sad really that the things I am most passionate about will not be shared by the people in Beaufort.
I do not think that people can just live anywhere. You have to take into account the weather, demographics, the disposition of the people, political stances, religion, population, etc. For example, I've heard that I'd probably fit in well in Austin, Texas and I know I would not like living up north for various reasons.
All I'm saying is that I wouldn't be disappointed if we decided to stay in Athens.
Joe and I are both from the east coast of South Carolina, known as the Low Country. We both left unknowingly at the same time in July/August 2007. I left to get a new lease on life after a break-up. Joe left for similar reasons, except for new people and environment.
I had visited Athens, GA several times with my ex-boyfriend and I decided to move there. Yes, the one I was trying to get over...He was a professor at the technical college, but he didn't live there at the time. Shortly after I moved here, I found out that he married (and lives in Athens). Closure happened very quickly and that is when I met Joey, Joe, Joseph. Besides the obvious, I moved to Athens because I liked the downtown area with used music and book stores and art and bead shops. I liked how people looked different; earthy and unique.
Now I have been here almost 5 years. I've seen the ex a couple of times. I like Athens more than the reasons I originally came. As a matter of fact, I hate going downtown where the used music and book stores and art and bead shops are. Joe and I dated here and have spent our first three years of marriage here. Our boy was born next to the Bible college Joe was attending when we met. We have places we love to eat like Farm 255, Big City Bread, and The Grit. We support restaurants with locally-grown foods, small business entrepreneurs, and local artists. The farmer's market on Saturdays is an Athens favorite even if all we buy is a egg, cheese, and soysage biscuit and bouquet of flowers. The downtown houses are so inspiring to look at from our rolled down windows, even if we can't afford to own one. We have a favorite cinema that we used to visit often before we had a baby. We finally found a diverse, charismatic church that we feel like we belong. Lincoln has a teacher at his school that loves him and if he can't be with me, I'm glad he's with her. We occasionally have snow if the winter is cold enough, but still have hot summers. We're a short drive away from the mountains, the northern SC line, and southern TN line. The good, bad, and ugly that Atlanta has to offer is a hop, skip, and jump away. Joe and I have jobs that we love and hate sometimes, but we have jobs! There is the camaraderie of a living in a college town with a popular footabll team, even if we never go to the games. It is a town that never grows up, if you know what I mean. We don't have friends that we socialize with or help out with Lincoln. We aren't exposed to family drama regularly. It's just the three of us. So why would we want to leave, or do we?
Both of our parents live on the coast of Carolina. Most of my family is in Beaufort and we have large holiday celebrations. Lincoln would grow up around family and his grandparents would be able to see him more. I don't like to be away from him after I get home from work because we have been separated so much already. I hate that I only spend about 4 hours a day with him already. An occasional date without him would be nice though. Living back in Beaufort would just mean being closer to family, eating fresh seafood, and being near the ocean. If it weren't for Lincoln, I don't think we would be pursuing a move back down south. See, Beaufort is a lot different than the beliefs of the people in Athens, and me for that matter. I'm still vote Republician and am passionate about the sanctity of life and marriage between a man and a woman. Athens is very liberal, but believe it or not, a Republican mayor was re-elected so there must be a conservative representation as well. I'm a part of a community in Athens that cloth diaper and breastfeed and wear their babies and co-sleep (attachment parenting). I may not "hang" out with them, but I know where to go to find them. I do not know anyone in Beaufort or even in my own family that does those things. I'm probably looked at as a hippie or something. Joe said that families that have the same beliefs as us are probably around, we might just have to look harder to find them. I plan to start an International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) chapter in the Beaufort area and Joe joked that I might be the only one that shows up...It makes me sad really that the things I am most passionate about will not be shared by the people in Beaufort.
I do not think that people can just live anywhere. You have to take into account the weather, demographics, the disposition of the people, political stances, religion, population, etc. For example, I've heard that I'd probably fit in well in Austin, Texas and I know I would not like living up north for various reasons.
All I'm saying is that I wouldn't be disappointed if we decided to stay in Athens.
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